Life > March 6, 2008

By Mary Beth Ballard | Staff columnist

So it’s almost Spring Break, and if you happen to have picked up this lovely collegiate publication before setting off on your hedonistic adventures to the land of light beers and sunning, I salute you, oh faithful OGB reader.

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This column intends to address the aspects of Spring Break that one might overlook in the hustle and bustle to get out the door and away from the university bubble for a while.

Simple reminders on how to enhance your week of bliss is all I’m offering – nothing terribly profound.

I’ll save that for an upcoming senior uber nostalgic/imparting wisdom treatise.

First and foremost, every Spring Break needs a stellar playlist to carry you and your friends through the week.

The playlist is absolutely crucial to setting the tone for the infamous road trip, so choose wisely.

If you’re in charge of creating the P-list, make sure to keep your friends’ tastes in mind … or it just might turn out to be an act of audio self-indulgence that satisfies your ears alone.

But don’t misunderstand me, definitely make your own mix too, but for public listening, all-inclusive tunes are key.

Bring workout attire and accessories (i.e. Frisbee, tennis racket, yoga mat, ping pong balls, beach balls for multipurpose usage).

As if this campus wasn’t health conscious enough, we should still take exercise with us wherever we go, be it back home or Cabo San Lucas.

But why, you might ask, when all I want to do is relax? Well, for one, do you really want to defeat in one short week the hard work you’ve put into getting in “Spring Break shape”?

Also, exercise will increase your endorphins (scientifically proven) and contribute to your feel-good attitude that will last throughout the entire vacay.

And lastly, anyone who’s ever traveled in groups knows that spending too much time with the same people, even your best friends, can get annoying.

We all need “me” time each day.

Why not take that 45-minute run on the beach at dusk to be by yourself before joining up with friends before dinner?

Grab some escapist lit – whether it’s the trashy romance novel you hide from your roommate, the 600-page and 800-pound Vogue, an intellectual New York Times Bestseller, a left-leaning Rolling Stone or the latest issue of Maxim.

Lounging and pleasure reading go hand in hand.

If anything, at least you can be reminded that important writing does indeed exist outside of textbooks and obligatory reading lists.

Don’t forget to have actual cash in your wallet.

Thanks, Dad, for pounding that advice into my head every single time I take a trip.

But seriously, in a world of imaginary money (a.k.a. Deacon Dollars), it’s easy to forget that cash is a legitimate way to purchase things.

You never know when that ice cream stand oasis suddenly appears and only takes dolla dolla bills, such as Zach’s Fro Yo, and you’re screwed with your feeble sliver of (now meaningless) plastic credit.

Pack plenty of hangover-reducing meds to ease your nights (and/or days) of debauchery.

Band-aids are always a good idea as well for UDIs (Unidentifiable Drunken Injuries) that may be incurred at various points along your journey.

Lastly, on spring break don’t forget to take your dignity.

As Herman Melville once said, “They talk of the dignity of work. The dignity is in leisure.”

Oh, spring break and the search for one’s dignity … slightly profound, but more or less impossible to achieve.